If it Were I
by dreams of infinities
Summary: A series of six oneshots focusing on what would happen if a different member of the team was shot by Quinn in S01 E13 T.R.A.C.K.S. Contains hints of SkyeWard, FitzSimmons and possibly Philinda. Chapter six is about May! Summary's rubbish, please read and review! *COMPLETE*
1. Skye

**A/N: So this is something random I wrote when I was bored. It will have six chapters, one for each agent of the team. I'd love a review! The first chapter will be on Skye, but with a slight twist or two, because I think that Ward should have found her, so don't skip through it.**

** Disclaimer: I do not own AoS, I only own my own ideas!**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the..._

"I wish we had more time to take in the views," Fitz moans.

"Maybe later," she replies, but she isn't really listening.

They start talking about 084s, whether they could be people, whether the case is an 084. Fitz says it isn't.

"We might not know what it is, but we know it comes from Cybertek," he clarifies.

"Hang on," Skye says, turning and looking at the screen.

"May's goggles are offline. When did that happen?"

"All the comms. are down," Skye says, fighting to keep the panic from her voice. She puts a finger to her ear. "Coulson? Simmons?"

A wild mechanical scrambling, but nothing else. No reply.

Fitz swears. "What do we do?"

"I think we should go find Ward."

"What if they come looking for us, though? What then?"

"Fitz, what the hell is going on? This is a non-combat op."

"Cybertek must know we're here."

Then they hear the gunshots.

Both of them leap behind stacks of luggage, and a wild fight begins.

There is one left, and he's holding some sort of grenade. They freeze, and Simmons runs in. "We've been made!" she cries, and spots the grenade.

She swears. Then she wraps her arms around him, and it explodes, and she flies backwards, and the only sound is the train.

Skye screams, and Fitz runs forward to check her pulse. It is weak but definitely there. He lets out the breath that he didn't know he was holding and nods. There is a lump in her throat that won't go away.

The blue around her eyes is fading, but the lump isn't.

"I'm guessing there was some sort of dendrotoxin in it," he says, "To cause paralysis or sleep."

"Well what do we do? We're the only ones left."

He hesitates. "Go find Coulson. I'll stay with her."

"What about him?" she gestures towards the man. "I can't kill him. Not in cold blood, like that."

"Ok," he mutters, "We could, uh, throw him off the train."

He wasn't being serious, but she nods. They lift him up and Fitz opens the rusty little door.

They toss him out.

"Ok," she says, "Look after her."

Then she runs out. Fitz strokes Jemma's hair, holds her close to him. He whispers to her that she should wake up, that everything is fine, but she is immobile and lifeless.

* * *

Skye searches the entire train, but there is nobody. She makes her way back, and she feels sick. There is a strange roaring in her ears and she begs herself not to faint.

"They're all gone," she says to Fitz heavily, "We're the only one on the train. Unless they've all miraculously turned into Italian passengers, the whole teams gone. No sign of May, Ward or Coulson. Simmons is here."

"We're stopping," Fitz says.

They wipe the dirt away from the window, and Skye spots Cybertek loading a package into a car.

"We need to go after them," she says decisively.

"We can't just leave Simmons!" Fitz argues.

"Ok." She lets out a slow breath, and draws another one in. "Ok. We leave her with something to defend herself. Coulson will get here soon."

Fitz tucks a gun into her hands. "There. Let's go."

They nod at each other, and jump from the train.

* * *

"Well- we can't just let Quinn get away! We have to something!"

"Skye, you can't go in there. It's suicide."

"Can you disable a car?" Her breathing is ragged and he can see the fear behind her eyes. A prickle runs down his spine and he feels a pang of unease.

"With my bare hands." He regrets the words as soon as he says them, but it's too late.

She's terrified, but she wants to be an agent. She wants to fit in. She wants to be part of the team. To do that, she needs to prove herself. She needs to do this, and she is terrified but she cannot let Quinn get away.

"I've beaten Quinn before," she reasons, "Activate the tracker."

"Skye, he held you at gunpoint! What if this time, you aren't so lucky?"

"The tracker, Fitz." She knows he's doing his best to scare her off, and it's working, but she feels like she owes this to the team. To SHIELD.

"Already done it."

"Disable their cars. I'll get Quinn."

He hands her his gun. "Here."

"You'll need it out here!"

"Just take it," he hisses. She gives him a tight smile and pulls him into the fastest hug he has ever experienced, and before he can stop her she runs towards the house.

He moves stealthily towards the cars.

* * *

What the hell?

Mike Peterson.

He's alive. He's alive.

There is joy, and panic, and terror, and shock, and a hand around her throat.

Wait, a hand around her throat.

Mancini is pointing a gun at her. Her eyes widen in surprise and she can't quite breathe properly. She wrestles his hand off her.

"Skye," Quinn says smoothly. Not him again. She knows that she came in to get rid of him, but the shock of seeing Mike and now him here as well is too much. She stumbles away from them, unsure of what to do.

_Fitz is outside,_ she thinks.

"I see you've found our friend here."

"Your friend!" she spits, "What've you done to him?"

"We enhanced him," Mancini says, "We made him stronger."

"His leg," she whispers.

Quinn claps his hands. "Well done, Skye. I see you've guessed what's in the package."

She draws in a sharp breath and looks towards the black case lying on the table.

"You...you..."

Quinn nods and they open the tube in which Mike is lying. He grunts a little and his eyes - well, his one good eye, as Skye sees that half his face is hideously burnt - slide open. He sits up.

Mancini opens the case, and a metal tube lies inside. He slips it onto Mike's leg.

"Stand, please."

He does as he is told, and lets out a gasp as the tube expands, pieces folding out until they become a metal leg. A leg.

"Mike," she says.

Quinn shakes Mancini's hand, gives him Skye's gun and asks him to head on upstairs.

"Mr. Peterson? The Clairvoyant has ordered you not to hurt me, right?"

Mike nods slowly.

"Right. But...if I was to hurt you, would you stop me?"

He shakes his head no.

"Mike," Skye says desperately, "Mike, listen. I don't know what they did to you but-"

Quinn interrupts. He acts like she hasn't spoken. "And would you follow my orders? If, for example, I asked you to kill her..." He speaks the words delicately, as though there is a certain way she must be pronounced, as though she is not a person at all.

Mike looks at her and she silently begs him not to. "They are not my orders," he says finally.

Quinn nods. "I understand. Off you go."

Mike leaves slowly, as though he is too tired and weak to be capable of moving like he used to. Skye hates the way he stares, like nothing matters any more..

He has a son.

"What the-" she begins, but she never finishes because there is a single shot, loud and clear, and she hears a slight clink.

Then comes the pain.

White hot, like fire running through her stomach, and beads of sweat appear on her forehead. She can't breathe. Tears well up in her eyes. She croaks something out, but not even she knows what she says. He holds her up, and she leans on him, and he supports her.

Then she remembers who shot her, and she tries to push him away but she can't because she's just been shot. And she feels the butt of the pistol digging into her, and the pain is unbearable and she hears a bang.

And the pain doubles, and he lowers her to the floor.

He says something, but she can't hear because there is a roaring in her ears and she is too hot and too cold, and he steps over her neatly, and she lies down and wants the pain to stop.

* * *

"Where is she?" he asks.

Quinn smiles, a slow, infuriating smile that makes Ward want to scream. He punches Quinn so hard that he doubles over and gags.

"Where is she?" he repeats.

"You know, Agent Coulson," Quinn says, focusing on the man who is holding a gun to his head, "You shouldn't send your pet project in, all alone like that. It's so easy to get hurt, these days."

This time Ward aims for the shoulder, and there is a loud pop.

"Didn't you teach her to stay away from nasty men with guns?" Quinn adds.

One blow, and he's out cold. Coulson drops him in disgust. "Find her," he orders.

They all run in different directions.

Ward goes down a flight of stairs. There is a closed door. He rattles it, but it's locked. He steps back, takes a breath and kicks it down.

And there she is.

Lying on the floor, blood seeping through her shirt and dribbling from her mouth. Her hair is plastered to her brow with sweat.

"No!" he shouts, and the noise echoes through the house. "Skye, Skye..."

She opens her eyes a little. "Ward," she croaks, and her cheeks are wet with tears. "Ward, I let him get away, and he has the package, and Mike. Ward, it's all my fault, I'm sorry..."

"It isn't your fault, Skye," he whispers. "It isn't your fault. You did good."

"I let him get away. I failed."

"Skye, listen to me." He realises that she is in his arms, and he is holding her. "Nothing's your fault. You were good and brave."

"I was bad. I was so stupid, Ward. They..." she pauses with the effort, "They have Mike."

She closes her eyes, and her pulse fades beneath his fingertips.

"Is she...oh." Simmons came in and knelt beside her, followed by the others.

"She was shot," Ward says numbly.

"Keep her upright. Can you find a pulse? She's lost so much blood..."

Coulson looks on desperately. "Do something!" he shouts.

Her gaze settles on the tube. "Put her in there."

"What even is that thing?" May asks.

"It's a hypobaric chamber, put her in. I think," she adds under her breath. They all lift her.

"Gently!" Fitz says.

They slam the door shut. Simmons lowers the temperature.

"Is it working?" Ward asks. Nobody answers. "Somebody tell me if it's working!" he shouts, but they all stare at Skye.

A breath.

Simmons collapses against the side in relief. "We need to get her back to the 'bus, fast."

* * *

They all touch their fingers against glass, briefly. May retires to the cockpit. Simmons, shakily, goes to wash her hands and Fitz follows her sadly. Coulson leaves without saying anything. Ward doesn't think he trusts himself to.

He is alone with Skye. He rests his forehead on the glass.

Specialists never cry, but for Ward, the tears come.

**Well, that turned out sadder than I expected it to! Please, please leave a review, because reviews make my day and I need to know that people actually want me to continue! Who do you want to come next?**

** Thanks!**


	2. Fitz

**First review, from babycraycray, asked for Fitz! Here we go!**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train..._

Fitz looks out of the filthy window and wishes he could actually see out of it. He wants to have time to take in the views, because the mountains that are the subject of this announcement are supposed to incredible. He hopes that Coulson will allow them to spend some time sightseeing when this op is over. He doesn't see why not. After all, the team deserve a break.

Skye is busy typing away, and Fitz wonders how it's humanly possible for her fingers to move that fast.

"I'd love to see the views," he hints, but she hardly pays him any attention.

"Sure," she says.

"Ignore me, then," he grumbles, "Do you have any snacks? I'm feeling a bit peckish."

She laughs and rolls her eyes. "Well, you could risk your job and go and buy something if you like."

"Actually? Put it that way, you know what? I'm not so hungry any more. In fact," he says, pausing to consider it, "I kind of need the toilet."

"Oh, Fitz," comes Simmons' sigh.

"It's not funny!" he says grumpily.

Skye giggles at his expression.

"So is the package an 084?" she asks.

"No, we might not know what it is, but we definitely know that it comes from Cybertek."

"Right. Have you ever heard of and 084 being a...person?"

"No." He gives a hollow laugh. "I'd hate to meet the guy. Aargh, I can't stand it. I'm going."

Skye snorts. "Ok, turbo," she smirks.

He leaves, and she notices that May's goggles are offline. "When did that happen?" she murmurs. "Coulson? Simmons? Does anybody read me?"

Nothing.

"Fitz," she calls.

He is gone.

Someone runs in, and she breathes a sigh of relief, but it isn't Coulson. And he's holding a gun.

And firing at her.

Skye jumps behind an empty crate and pulls out her gun. She fires the six bullets she has, and looks around to see one last person, holding a glowing blue grenade. Simmons runs in.

"Simmons!" Skye shouts wildly. The man hasn't noticed her.

"We've been made!" Simmons cries, using some sort of urn she's holding to knock out the man, but she is a split second too late, and he throws it at Skye, and there is blue light, and there is darkness.

* * *

Fitz comes back in, panicked, to see Simmons frozen, staring at a limp form on the ground with a terrified expression. He grabs her arm and she lets out a cry of fear, struggling out of his grasp and preparing to hit him with a large silver urn(?).

"Simmons! Simmons, it's me!"

She peers at him closely before throwing herself at him. "Skye," she sobs.

"Is she...?"

He gently extracts himself from her and bends down beside Skye. He checks her pulse.

"She's ok," he says, relieved.

"It looks like she was hit by some sort of dendrotoxin. That would explain the blue...a sort of black sleep would make sense. How did Cybertek manage to make it airborne?"

"Jemma, what the hell's going on?"

She looks at him fearfully. "We were made," she whispers, "Coulson left, but he didn't come back. All our communication devices are down. I don't know what to do."

"Search the train for the others. I'll try and wake up Skye."

She bites her lip and nods.

When she returns, she shakes her head sadly.

"I don't understand, Fitz. This was meant to be a non-combat op. What happened to everyone? Are we the only ones left?"

"I think so."

"Where did the Cybertek Man go?" she asks suddenly, but a look at his face and she knows.

"Sorry," he says quietly.

"You did what had to be done."

"We're stopping," he realises.

"Why? We aren't due for another half hour."

They go over to the grimy window and together wipe it with their sleeves so that they can see out.

"Cybertek have the package," Fitz says, stricken. What have they done to May, Coulson and Ward?

"We're the last two left. Do we stay here?"

"I have an extra tracker. We could follow them," Fitz suggests.

Simmons shakes her head. "What about Skye?" she asks.

"She can look after herself. We'll leave her with this," he says, gently removing the gun from Jemma's grasp.

"She can tell Coulson what happened," she agrees, failing to see the lack of logic in this statement.

"Yeah," he says, letting it go because he doesn't think it's entirely relevant right now.

They open the door of the carriage and jump out.

* * *

"Coulson was right," she breathes, "Quinn's here. Cybertek led us right to him."

"I'll activate the tracker," Fitz says, fishing in his bag for it.

"The team will find us soon, won't they?" she asks quickly.

"Of course. Why do you...oh. No, you cannot be serious."

"Fitz, if we don't go in there, Quinn will get away."

"We didn't even pass our field assessments, for goodness' sake!"

"But we trained for them. We could do this, Fitz, we could. We could take Quinn down, get the package."

"That's Ward's job. Ours is to sit tight and tell him how to do it."

"If we wait till Ward gets here, he'll launch a full on assault and shoot everyone, giving Quinn a tip-off and allowing him to get away! But if we do it, Fitz...we can get in quietly, remove the package so it's unharmed, and then let Coulson and the others take down Quinn. Think about it, Fitz...this is our chance to prove ourselves to SHIELD, to show that we are loyal to them and always will-"

"Stop," Fitz says, "Just stop."

He holds up a hand.

"Fitz," she says.

"Fine," he sighs, "You're right. Just like you always are."

And then they were inside.

"Meet me back there in ten minutes," she mutters, "With or without the package. Don't try and find me."

"Likewise," he hisses, and she goes upstairs, and he continues on through.

He doesn't regret his decision to give her the gun.

Yet.

* * *

He hears footsteps and pins himself to a wall hoping that they can't see him.

"Tell Mr. Quinn that his purchase is in the basement." The voice is that of a woman, with a thick Italian accent.

Fitz smiles.

He knows where the product is now.

Slowly, carefully, he makes his way down the stone steps, into a dark, dusty cellar. He is drawn immediately to the large metal tube in the corner, and he walks towards it, noting the suitcase on the table as he passes.

He is not prepared for what is inside the tube.

Mike Peterson. The one who died on the bridge. The one who betrayed Coulson for the life of his son. The one who would have gotten away with it, only to run back onto the bridge which promptly blew up. The one who had Extremis running through his blood. The one who would have blown up, but who was saved by the weapon Fitz had helped create. Fitz can't work out who Mike is: friend or foe?

He decides that in their current predicament he is probably a friend, and is so lost in thought that he does not notice the men come up beside him until there is a hand around his throat and his own gun pointed at his head.

Dammit.

"Leopold Fitz," comes Quinn's smooth, polished voice, "Agent of SHIELD, Level 5. A member of Coulson's team, I believe. Helped invent this little weapon." He taps the night-night gun in Mancini's hand.

"This is the same as the specs. you gave us for the grenade," he says.

Fitz does't know where to look, and it doesn't help that his eyes will not quite focus from the lack of oxygen. He tried to get the hand away from his throat.

"You see," Quinn continues, "We've been watching you just as closely as you have us."

"You won't get away with this!" Fitz shouts. "We have a full team on their way and another agent who is searching as we speak!"

"Oh, the agent upstairs?" His tone is clipped and even, as though he has rehearsed this speech. "They have been...taken care of."

Fitz stops struggling. His breathing is ragged. Time slows down.

"You...you...Jemma?"

It made sense; how else would he have her gun?

"I am sorry. Was she a friend of yours?"

And then Fitz has fury, and terror, and anger, and grief, and he pushes Mancini away from him and he is lunging at Quinn, and something connects with the back of his skull.

He falls almost comically, in a tangled heap at their feet.

Quinn nods at the case and his partner brings its contents over. Fitz notices that the chamber is open and Mike is sitting up. He must have blacked out for a minute or so.

"I brought you something to help you complete them," Quinn is saying.

Mancini slides the...thing...onto Mike's stump of what used to be a leg. "Stand, please," he says.

Mike stands and Fitz tries his very hardest not to hear the grunts of pain that escape his lips. His vision is a little blurry but he can see quite clearly a glowing metal leg.

Fitz closes his eyes, and stands up.

He almost doesn't make it. He feels nauseous and a wave of dizziness knocks him back into the wall.

When he opens his eyes, the other man is gone. It's just him, and Quinn...and Mike.

"So, Mr. Peterson, you know you can't hurt me, right? No. But...if I hurt you...would you stop me?"

Mike is silent. "No," he says finally, "I would not."

"Mike - Mr. Peterson," Fitz says frantically, "I'm Fitz. Do you remember me? I designed some of your equipment, saved your life from the Extremis. I'm on Coulson's team."

"But do you follow my orders? For example, if I asked you to...well, you know, cross him off, would you?"

The silence is unbearable. Fitz moves away from the wall, but he can't go far, because there is a gun pointed at him.

And then Mike nods.

"Good man," Quinn says, and then, whispering in Mike's ear so that Fitz can't hear, he tells him, "Two in the stomach."

He turns and walks up the steps.

"Mike-"

Bang. Bang.

* * *

It's been ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. She's worried. Twenty minutes.

She hears a scuffle. A gunshot.

Fitz.

She hardly thinks about what's she's doing, but she starts towards the house. This was her fault.

There is a movement, and she whirls around. She vaguely remembers putting the gun down to search for a hidden doorway, and it isn't in her belt where she has been keeping it. There is a man pointing a gun at her.

"Hello," she says weakly, hoping that she doesn't sound terrified (though of course she does). "Can I help you?"

There's a sharp crack, and she leaps out the way, but it wasn't from his gun. He slumps downwards.

"Simmons!"

"Where's Fitz?"

Shakily, she points towards the house.

* * *

Coulson grabs Quinn and presses a gun to his head. "Where's Fitz?" he spits.

Quinn laughs. "Which one of you was upstairs? He thinks - well, thought, I suppose - that you're dead. Two to the stomach, just like hi-"

Coulson punches him so hard that he blacks out for a minute or two.

"We have to find him!" Simmons cries, "He won't be upstairs."

They all start running.

* * *

Quinn hears the pained cry from where he lies, tossed unceremoniously on the floor with hands cuffed behind his back, and lets out a little laugh. May kicks him hard in disgust and he doubles over, groaning. She follows the noise.

Fitz is in Jemma's arms, lifeless, his blood pooled on the floor. She is sobbing, trying to wake him up, but it is no use.

May utters a foul stream of swear words she didn't even realise she knew. "Coulson!"

It turns out that he was close already, and he runs in, stopping dead when he sees FitzSimmons.

"Oh, no. What can you do for him? Simmons?"

She is weeping. "It's my fault," she says over and over again. "I did this. I'm sorry."

May marches over. "Can you do anything for him?" she asks.

Simmons looks around the whole room as Skye and Ward walk in. "He's lost so much...there. Put him in there."

"What is that thing?" Skye asks.

"A hypobaric chamber and put him in there!"

Her trembling hands are covered in blood, but she manages to press the right buttons.

"Simmons, is it working?" Ward sounds like he's already said this, but she hardly hears, staring intently at Fitz.

He breathes.

* * *

She leaves as soon as she can. She does not want to see him like this.

Nobody will search for her in a storage closet, so she goes in there, and curls up in the corner.

This is her fault.

"Fitz, forgive me," she says, but nobody's listening.

_Fitz, I think I love you, _her mind says, but she doesn't say it aloud.

**...Yeah. There we go. Who are you guys interested in me doing next? A big thank you to babycraycray and to Lamarquize for telling me what you thought.**

** Thanks!**


	3. Coulson

**I had a request for Simmons and Coulson... I think I'll do Coulson to split up Fitz and Simmons. Thanks to annavale23 and babycraycray for reviewing!**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train..._

Coulson calmly surveyed Simmons, who sat across from him. Truth be told, he was more than a little anxious about what she would come out with. She appeared to like the dramatic scenes, and the words _I excel at preparation _were not entirely what he wanted to hear.

"Heading your way," comes Fitz's voice.

"You're on," Coulson says, fearfully.

"All my mother ever wanted was your love, to be with you, in our two storey Victorian home in the Cotswalts! But could you even give her a moment? What with your banking job requiring you to travel to the States every other week? No!"

He winced. _I'm sorry if I come across as a little cold. _That made sense now. She was undeniably a good actress, particularly for one who was such an appalling liar.

"I'm terribly sorry for your loss," a passing man says, nodding at her. Coulson is struggling not to laugh. He turns to him. "As for you, now is your chance to make amends. I suggest you take it."

They hear Skye's snort. "He's close," Fitz says.

She stands abruptly. "He's right!" she shouts, "You never had any time for her! But you made time for your work! And," she adds as an afterthought, "For your prostitutes!"

As Mancini comes forward, she does too and slams into him, flicking open the silver urn she's clutching so that the ash they have put inside all pours out.

"No!" she shouts dramatically, "Oh no! Mum!"

Mancini steps through it.

Mission complete, she thinks.

"Prostitutes? Plural?"

"It's all for the greater good, sir," she says, trying to sound reassuring.

"Right. May, do you copy?"

"Yes. I can see the footprints."

* * *

"Sir, Fitz isn't answering."

"Does anyone copy?"

"Hello?" She presses her earpiece; all she can hear is a mechanical scrambling noise.

"Ok. We need to find Fitz and Skye. Come on."

He takes her by the wrist and leads her towards the luggage compartment, but an old, feisty looking woman stands in their way.

"Where are you taking your daughter?" she asks furiously. "To shut her up somewhere quiet? Whatever you need to say to her, you can say in front of everyone on this train!"

Ah.

"Oh, no, it's not like that..." she starts, but the woman cuts her off.

"You can't spend your childhood under the spell of a controlling ba-"

They hear gunshots, and Coulson shoves her out of the way. They run towards the source of the noise and the last thing they hear before leaving the compartment is a collective gasp of surprise.

"I think you may have come across as a little too cold," he says as they start sprinting.

"You don't say."

They enter the luggage compartment and Coulson shoots a man in the back. He drops the grenade he is holding and Simmons feels Coulson shove her, hard, so that she falls behind the door.

She can feel an electrical pulse in the air.

"Coulson?" she asks quietly.

"I'm here," he says.

She starts to slowly pick herself up, before jumping suddenly. "Fitz!" she cries.

"It's ok," Coulson says, "They're ok."

She lets out a breath of relief and leans against the side of the door.

Fitz and Skye are lying on the floor, electric blue veins shrinking into their eyes.

"What happened to them?" Coulson breathes.

She comes over to the two. "I think there's some sort of dendrotoxin in the grenade. They must have made it airborne."

"That's why their eyes are open?"

"Yes. I think some sort of black sleep would make sense..."

"Well how long till they wake up?"

"It's hard to say," she sighs, "A few hours?"

"Hours? We don't have hours?"

"Sir, I don't know. We created the night-night gun to knock somebody out for a couple of hours, but making the dendrotoxin airborne could result in the weakening of-"

"Simmons, I don't want the whole equation. I want to know when they'll wake up."

"Right," she says faintly, "I'm not sure, sir."

"Fine," he says. "Ward? Dammit. Comms. are down."

"We need to find them," she says decisively.

"Ok. You stay here. Make them comfortable. I'll find May and Ward."

She nods. Coulson doesn't think she looks so good.

"Hey," he says, touching her arm. "It'll be fine."

"Fine," she echoes, before turning away and dragging a bag over to place under Fitz's head as some sort of pillow. She does the same for Skye.

Then she faints.

* * *

Coulson returns, after searching the entire train (including the roof). He finds a wobbly looking Simmons sat on the floor.

"Simmons?"

"Oh! Sir! I just...fainted."

"Are you ok?"

She nods. "I think so. Are we- are we stopping?"

The train screeches to a halt.

"We shouldn't be," Coulson says.

They go over to the window and wipe away the grime.

"Cybertek has the package," Simmons whispers. "Where's Ward?"

"We should follow them," Coulson says, "Will Fitz have a tracker?"

"Probably," she says absently, rummaging in his bag. She pulls one out.

"We need to leave them something to protect themselves with," Coulson says.

She finds two guns; then gives one to each of them.

They shove the door open and jump out.

* * *

They grab him first - he is behind her, having insisted that she be where he can see her - and he lets out a grunt as the air is knocked from his lungs.

"Sir?" she asks, spinning around, and another person takes hold of her wrists and pulls her forward sharply.

"You know, Simmons? I think you can drop the 'sir' now."

"Oh...ok," she says as they pin her arms behind her back and knot them together, "What would you like?"

She's doing a good job of keeping the pain out of her voice, he thinks. "Phil is fine."

She gives him a questioning glance, and the pointed look he sends her back makes her realise that he doesn't want to tell these people his surname.

"Certainly, Phil."

One of the men barks out something in Italian, and they can only imagine that he is telling them to be quiet. Obediently, they keep their mouths shut and are led away.

"You know, this is exactly what we wanted. They're leading us straight to Quinn."

He is cuffed around the back of his neck.

"I think you may slightly be looking at our situation from the wrong angle," she hisses back.

She doesn't think that they want to hit a woman, because they do not give her the same treatment.

Useful.

* * *

"Tell Mr. Quinn thathis purchase is waiting in the basement," a thickly accented voice purrs, "Along with a couple of surprises."

"Hey," Coulson smiles, "We're surprises. Isn't that nice?"

"Sir, are you not even remotely concerned by the fact that we are hostages tied up in Ian Quinn's basement?"

"Nah, we'll be fine. What's in that thing?"

He cranes his neck to see.

She only hears a small gasp and his voice saying, "Don't look."

"What is it? I can deal with-"

"It's Mike."

"Mike...?"

"Peterson."

She stops, turning to stare at him. "The? Mike Peterson?"

He nods.

"But...but...he died. I saw him die! This isn't possible! Somebody can't just come back from the dead!" She struggles against her bonds, but the cord that is attaching her to that table is too tight.

"I did," Coulson says calmly.

"What are you talking about?"

"I was stabbed through the heart with an Asgardian sceptre."

"What? I don't understand...you-?"

Then they hear footsteps, echoing down the stairs. Coulson smiles. "Look, we've got a visitor!" he says brightly.

* * *

She only hears the gunshot.

Another one.

And her own scream, piercing the air and running through the house.

He

f

a

l

l

s.

And Quinn is opening the hyperbaric chamber, is Mike Peterson is getting out, and they are fitting him with a metal leg.

And she screams again.

"Coulson," she finds herself saying, "Look at me. Focus on me. Get yourself upright, and stay still to stop the blood pumping around your body so fast..."

"Shut her up, will you?" Quinn asks, handing Mike a roll of tape.

"Coulson, Coulson, look at me. Focus your eyes on me!"

He binds the tape tightly around her mouth.

"Hey, Simmons, I've been through this before. I'll be fine!" he says, but there is a slight slur to his voice as he does what she asked.

Quinn steps over him. "I'll send your team down here when they arrive," he says, "Sorry about him. I have my orders too."

Simmons does not know how to hate, but this is the first time she has ever come close. She stares at him icily, and her wriggling hands, struggling to get free, are wet with sweat. Or blood.

She does not know, and she does not care.

She is still struggling when May finds her.

* * *

"Coulson," she says immediately, running towards him.

He murmurs something that she can't decipher.

Simmons is struggling wildly against her bonds.

"Guys!" May shouts.

They all come thundering down.

"Jemma!" Fitz says, coming towards her and untying her as fast as his shaking fingers can manage. He gently peels the tape from her mouth, and she pushes him away from her, kneeling down beside her boss, putting a slightly numb hand over his wound.

"Chamber," she says weakly, "Hyperbaric. Lower his temp."

Skye and Ward exchange glances. She has gone into a state of shock and gestures wildly towards the tube in the corner.

Fitz understands, though, as always. "That's a hyperbaric chamber," he translates, "She wants to put him in there. Lower down his body temp."

They all lift him and lie him gently on the bed. Very gently, as May insists.

Simmons tells Fitz to lower the temperature, and they wait.

He breathes, and she does too, a sigh of relief, and sinks into Fitz's arms.

* * *

"If we don't get his temperature back to normal in the next few hours, he could sustain permanent brain damage. We need to- to- get him to a medical facility- fast. Fast."

Her voice betrays her, and the tears well up in her eyes, and Fitz wraps an arm around her shoulders. He leads her away.

"I hate this," Skye says, "I hate it. Quinn...to shoot him like that, and in front of her, as well..."

"She's pretty badly shaken up," Ward agrees.

"This is my fault," May says angrily. "I should have been there to protect them."

"Don't start that," Ward cuts in tiredly, "It's Quinn's fault."

Skye nods. "Quinn's. Not yours."

May gives them a tight, sarcastic smile, and goes to the cockpit.

She was supposed to protect Coulson.

She has failed.

**Thank you to babycraycray, annavale23 and the mysterious Guest for reviewing!**

** Who would you like next?**

** Thanks!**


	4. Simmons

**MarvelMatt, I did get your review, but a few people have asked for Simmons, so I will do her first. Others, here you go! Next chapter will be Ward!**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train..._

She clutches the urn tightly in her lap.

"So I apologise if I come across as a little cold."

He looks faintly amused, and she gives him a small smile, realising that he has no idea what to expect.

"All my mother ever wanted was to..."

* * *

"Fitz? Skye?"

There is not a reply. She looks at Coulson nervously. "Go and find Fitz and Skye. I'll try Ward."

"Copy that," she says softly.

Everything is going to be fine.

She finds Fitz and Skye. They look up as she enters. "We've been made. We need to go."

They both jump up. "Cybertek knows we're here? On the train?"

"I think so. They've jammed our communications."

"Yeah, we can't connect to May or Ward either."

"We should-"

She is cut off by the entrance of three armed men.

"Get down!" Fitz shouts, and they all dive down behind a pile of suitcases. Someone tosses her a night-night gun, and she fires a few shots before realising that there is already total silence. The other two are smirking at her and she sends them a death glare.

"Come on," Skye says, "We should find Coulson."

Agreeing, they both get up, but Coulson nor May nor Ward is anywhere to be seen.

Fitz swears several times, loudly. "Where the hell are they?"

"How should we know?" Skye asks.

"We're...stopping."

"Yes, Jemma, I think we realise that!" Fitz shouts angrily, and she flinches away from him.

"Hey, Fitz, calm down," Skye says soothingly. Simmons touches his arm lightly.

"Cybertek has the package," Fitz says in alarm, "Where's Coulson?"

"What do we do?"

"Fitz, do you have a spare tracker?"

"Of course," he says curiously.

"Then we follow them."

Simmons laughs. "That," she states dryly, "Is the worst idea I've heard in quite a while."

Then she realises that Skye is being serious.

"Oh," she says, shaking her head, "No. I mean..." she trails off helplessly. "What if we-? I... Really?"

"We can't just let Cybertek get away," Fitz reasons.

"C'mon, live a little!" Skye says, "We get the package and Quinn and before Coulson knows what's hit him the three kids who can't defend themselves have saved the day!"

"You sound like an overenthusiastic puppy who can talk," Fitz groans.

* * *

They discover, to their relief, that they do not have far to travel. They come to a large house.

"Wouldn't mind living there," Skye says, and Fitz punches her playfully.

Simmons feels a twinge of jealousy, but says nothing and tells herself to stop being so silly. He's her best friend. And Fitz would never even dream of loving Skye.

"Activate the tracker," she murmurs.

"Right-o," Fitz replies absently. He pulls it out of his pocket and presses the button.

"You want to go in."

Skye nods slowly.

"Fitz, you could disable the cars while we-"

"We?! No way. Skye's had training for this, Jemma. You didn't even pass your field assessment, for goodness' sake!"

"Oh, like you did?"

"Guys, stop it. Fitz disable the cars, I'll get Quinn, and Simmons can meet Coulson and tell them what's going on."

"I think I should at least be allowed a say in the matter!"

"Pipe down," Fitz hisses, "Skye, get going...have this."

He hands her the only gun.

"But you guys'll need it out here!"

"Just take it," they say in perfect sync.

"You are a little creepy, you know that?" They both smile at her, and she nods slowly before turning and running towards the house.

Almost immediately, Fitz pulls a length of cord from his pocket.

"Wh- what are you doing?"

"Saving you," he mutters, wrapping it around her delicate wrists.

"Fitz, let me go!"

"Jemma, I know that as soon as I turn my back you'll follow Skye. I... I just... I couldn't bear it if I lost you, Jemma. I don't know what I would do. I won't let them hurt you."

"By tying me to a tree? Fitz, I know how to be discreet."

He shakes his head. "Skye was trained for this. Just- just stay here and meet Coulson, ok?"

She bites back the icy remark and nods. He walks away.

"Oh, Fitz," she says softly, "I taught you this knot, remember?"

And she slips away.

* * *

Skye heads up the stairs and worries about Fitz. She realises that Simmons knows how to persuade him; that she will probably end up in here. Skye is a little frightened, but she knows that Jemma work her way out of a tight spot. Fitz, though...if he's found underneath a car...

And what about Ward? Coulson? May? What if they're seriously injured? What if...? It doesn't bear thinking about, so she blocks it out of her mind.

She heads up the stairs, wincing when one of them creaks horribly.

Nobody comes to investigate, and she carries on up.

* * *

Fitz is worried about Jemma. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now...what if an armed guard comes searching? She won't even be able to run... Fitz pales. She wouldn't be able to escape. He tries not to visualise some monster of a man putting a bullet through her brain, but the image comes without warning. He closes his eyes and draws in a shaky breath through gritted teeth.

And then he remembers who taught him how to tie knots.

"Jemma," he hisses.

* * *

She knows that Skye was heading upstairs, so she continues along, treading quietly and taking herself into the basement.

"Wait...is that a...hyperbaric chamber?" she mumbles to herself, moving towards it. She touches it in fascination, before catching sight of the man inside.

Mike.

She whirls around desparately, and sees somebody watching her, with a pistol aimed at her chest.

"Look what I found," Quinn says cheerfully, as Mancini enters behind him.

She would swear horribly, but she considers herself such foul mouthed-ness.

Instead, she backs away against the wall as both men advance towards her.

"Is this the infamous Jemma Simmons?"

"Oh," she says, trying to smile, but failing miserably, "Nah... I mean- I wouldn't say I am famous..."

"Oh, come on, Miss Simmons."

"I prefer 'Agent' when possible," she replies with a voice stronger than she feels.

"Of course," he cuts in smoothly. "Agent Simmons it is."

She opens her mouth to return with some sort of cutting remark, but can think of nothing, so she shuts it again and her back hits the wall.

She lets out a short gasp of surprise; she had not realised she was moving backwards.

"So, Agent Simmons, have you been acquainted with Mr. Peterson before?"

She says nothing, and he tuts.

"Did Coulson not teach you your manners?"

She stiffens. How does he know she works for Coulson?

"Oh, dear... Cat got your tongue?" He smiles in a falsely sympathetic way.

"Well, Agent Simmons, Mike Peterson, as you can see, is not at all dead. In fact, I can even make him speak to you."

Don't, she thinks.

"Don't you want to see the man who betrayed your team again."

She forces the words out. "Not particularly, no. What have you done to him?"

_I can still get out of this, _she thinks.

And then he fires his gun.

* * *

Quinn, though he hates to acknowledge the fact, feels remarkably worse than he should to. To his surprise, she doesn't scream. She merely lets out a pained noise, slumps against the wall.

He thinks this might be worse. Normally, he enjoys inflicting pain on people, but this...

A young, innocent woman.

Nevertheless, the job must be done, so he continues towards her. She doesn't really notice, he realises, as he grabs her and for a moment she seeks relief, but then she feels the pistol digging into her stomach.

There is pain, and a second gunshot, and her vision blurs as he lowers her down.

Quinn tries not to get blood on his shirt. Delicately, he pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and wipes clean his gun, before slipping both items back in their places.

"Mancini," he says, as the room swims around her.

* * *

She can hardly see what is happening, but vaguely she registers that Mike is standing up, and there is a large metal object that must be his leg.

"Help," she croaks out.

Mancini glances at her. He may be an evil genius, but to have a dying child - because, really, she is just a child - in front of him, blood pouring out onto the floor, is a little disturbing, even for him. Especially what with the other creepy guy.

Quinn, though she can barely see him, looks at her with a twinge of regret, before stepping over her lightly.

"Come on," he says to Mancini, who follows, and the door clicks shut behind them.

There is fear. There is hopelessness. There is pain.

Fire. Pain.

It's only later that she thinks drily how ironic it is that she used the word "fire".

* * *

Skye, from upstairs, hears a faint crack that may or may not be a gunshot.

The package isn't up here. Should she go down?

Then she remembers Simmons.

And Fitz.

And the fact that the rest of the team could be here right now.

A gunshot was definitely not a good thing to hear at this precise moment in time.

She moves to the window and sees Fitz get up, and the man aiming at him shot down.

"Coulson's here," she breathes.

There is a tree beside the window, so she climbs down.

Immediately, Coulson and Fitz come towards her.

"Where's Simmons?" Fitz asks breathlessly.

"I thought she was with you."

"She went inside. I thought she was with you."

"Well," Ward says, irritated, "She's clearly inside, not with any of us, so why don't we go get her?"

"Fitz," Skye starts quietly, but, realising she has no other way to put it, she continues, "I heard gunshots."

"There was a fight- that could have been- it was- it can't have been at her," he finishes lamely.

The others nod their reassurance.

* * *

"Where is she?"

"The girl who was down here earlier? I- oh, Skye! Well isn't this a pleasant surprise. How are y-"

Fitz barely even realises what he's doing until Ward drags him off a now slightly bloodied Quinn.

"What have you done with Simmons?"

"Two in the stomach," Quinn says, relishing the moment.

What happens next is so quick that nobody is sure which one knocks him out.

"Find her," Coulson says.

They all run in different directions, but it is Coulson who goes down to the basement.

At first he doesn't see her, but as his eyes grow accustomed to the darkness he can make out a faint shape, huddled against the far wall.

"Oh," he says, "No. No. Can you hear me? Simmons? Hello? Answer me!"

She doesn't move, merely lies still against the wall. Her face is pale, and there is a little blood trickling out of her mouth. He wipes at it slightly, and Coulson realises that he is crying.

"Fitz!" he calls.

There is no pulse.

She is not breathing.

Simmons is dead. Gone.

When Fitz comes in, he lets out the male equivalent of a scream.

* * *

She is lying in a hyperbaric chamber, cold and unmoving.

She looks like Snow White, Fitz thinks.

The others have left him in peace. Skye tells him that he was brilliant, that Simmons is lucky to have him, because it was him who found the words written with her finger in blood.

_Lower my temp._

It is typical Jemma to put a full stop there, to show that temp. was an abbreviation.

Fitz remembers that the push had been enough to show him that this is a hyperbaric chamber, so now she is alive, because she is clever.

Her brains saved her life.

He thinks it is ironic that, after all this time of fixing bullet holes and wounds, now she is the victim herself. Cruel.

"Jemma, you'd better not die," he warns her, and puts his forehead against the glass.

But his Snow White, his Sleeping Beauty, does not wake up.

**That chapter was really, really hard to write!**

** I'll do Ward next, and May last. Who was your favourite so far?**

** Thanks to mol, thetideisrising, babycraycray, Guest and anyone else who reviewed but I've forgotten about.**

** Next update might be a while, but see you then!**

** Thanks!**


	5. Ward

**What is this? Am I dead? A ghost come back to haunt you all with another depressing chapter?**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train..._

Ward has long since stopped feeling nervous while on missions. He can still remember the first one; the Academy. His mission was to become an agent.

Of course, back then, he hardly understood HYDRA. He does now, though, and every time they complete a mission successfully and celebrate, every time they talk to him as though he is a friend, he feels a twinge of regret.

Because he thinks that, really, he is a good man with a bad past and a debt that he cannot repay. And sometimes the worst burden you can have is a debt, he muses. It sits on your shoulders and a man like Garrett will always enjoy having one over you. There is nothing you can do until the time comes, and although Ward has tried to repay his Supervising Officer in any way he can, it is not enough.

Now he is torn. He doesn't want anything to happen to the team, but Cybertek, he knows, is allied with Garrett and he can't stand in their way. If they hurt Skye... Fitz and Simmons he is sure have saved his life many times with all the equipment they've designed and Coulson? He doesn't know why but Ward believes he owes a man like that something.

The thing with May had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, but she seems to be relaxed around it and he thinks that it is a good way to earn her trust. But, come to think of it, he doesn't much want her to die either, because she isuseful when it came to protecting the rest of the team, and when HYDRA takes over at least Skye will be in safe hands.

"Excuse me, sir, could you help me with my bag?"

"I am sorry, miss, but I am very busy," he replies in fluent Italian.

"Just one moment? It is very heavy."

He sighs, irritated not for the first time with stupid, beautiful women who think that the world has to revolve around them, before walking over and lifting her heavy case - what the heck is in there? - and carrying it into her compartment.

Ward knows it is a trap the moment he steps inside.

* * *

She sits tight and worried about Coulson.

Jemma Simmons, though on the outside she seems cool and calm, every bit the excited schoolgirl she has once been, worries a lot. She worries about her team, her parents without her to reassure them that it's fine, herself, Cybertek, Centipede, Fitz...

Particularly Fitz. Simmons does not know what she would do without Fitz. For goodness' sake, she would give her life for him without a second thought!

Well, maybe a second thought. She likes to think about things long and hard.

But she's pretty sure that in the end she would give her life for him.

Still, her orders are to sit here and wait for further instructions, and that, she has decided, is exactly what she is going to do. Field agents don't worry. She looks up when she sees Ward.

"We've been made," he mutters, so that only she can hear. "We're going to go to the luggage compartment and join Fitz and Skye, and then find May and Coulson."

"Coulson went to find the package," she exclaims. "Do you think-"

"We need to go. Now."

She sees three men enter and jumps up. He takes her by the arm and pulls her to where Fitz and Skye are, breaking into a run when he sees a Cybertek man in front of them.

They burst into the compartment, to see Skye knock someone out and both of them look up at the man who has just entered.

He is holding a grenade.

"We've been made!" Ward yells, but she is staring at the man. He is numb, unable to force himself into action, when he hears her muttering.

"Bloody hell," she says, and realises that yes, she would give her life to save two more.

Especially if one of them's Fitz.

She jumps and wraps her arms around him, and the force of the energy knocks her away slightly, but still she clings on.

She doesn't let go as her muscles go limp, and she is sure that her eyes are still open as all the light fades away.

* * *

"Jemma!" Fitz screams, and Wards realises what she is doing a second too late and reaches forwards to grab her, only to see her fall.

"Oh my-" Skye whispers, running to crouch beside her. She puts her fingers on the pulse point on Simmons' neck and lets out a sigh of relief. "She's alive."

Ward leans against the doorframe, breathing heavily. What was he thinking? He should have been the one to jump in front of him. That would earn their trust. He was too cowardly, but a young scientist uncleared for combat who hasn't even passed her field assessment is not? He...he is an idiot.

Fitz kneels beside her and gently lifts her head so that Skye can put some bags underneath it. The electric blue veins snaking out from her eyes fade, and, tenderly, he slides them shut.

They are talking, but Ward can hardly hear them. What use is he to HYDRA if he is no braver than a scientist?

"Ward."

He jumps. "Hmm?"

"Did they see you?"

"What? Oh, yeah," he says distractedly.

"I'll go, then," Skye says.

"Wait - where are you going?"

She rolls her eyes. "To find May and Coulson."

"I don't think that's a great idea...I'll go."

"Were you not listening? Cybertek saw you, so they'll attack you. I'll go."

"Right."

"What do we do with him?" Fitz gestures towards the other man.

"What do you think?" Ward asks, drawing his gun and hating himself.

* * *

"We're stopping."

"Well done," he says sarcastically.

"No sign of the other two," Skye tells them, coming back in.

"We're the only ones left," Fitz murmurs, looking at his unconscious friend for support, though she can give none.

"Look." Ward has cleared the grime from the window, and they can see Cybertek loading the package into a truck.

"They have the package."

"We should follow them."

"I should follow them. You should stay here and look after Simmons until she wakes up."

"What? We need to come too! If Quinn's there you're going to need all the backup you can get to take him in."

"No, he's right. We shouldn't just leave her to wake up alone like that! We don't know what the after-effects of the dendrotoxin are, she could suffer a memory lapse, or..."

"And if Cybertek are on the plane, they won't hesitate in taking her prisoner," Ward offers. "Besides, I'm a specialist. This is what I do."

"I'm not letting you go there alone."

"Well...I'll stay here with Jem- Simmons, and Skye you go with Ward. Then, when Coulson gets here, I can let him know where you went."

"Fitz, do you have a spare tracker?"

"Of course."

"Let us take the tracker, then, and we can let Coulson and May know our exact location."

"Sounds good. Do you have a gun?"

Fitz nods, and pulls two out of his bag, giving one to Simmons. Ward, similarly, tosses one to Skye and they jump out of the train, leaving Fitz alone.

* * *

"You ready?" he asks. Truth be told, he doesn't want Skye here. She's only a rookie and these people are trained to kill. If she comes up against one of them alone, she doesn't stand a chance.

"Nope."

Ward activates the tracker. "Ok, change of plan. You deactivate their cars."

"Did you learn the part where I'm not Fitz?"

"Shoot the tyres or something."

"Isn't that going to be loud?"

"Distraction plan. I get in, locate Quinn, take him out, wait for Coulson and then we bring him in."

"Ok, but what about the guard?"

Ward shoots him. "What guard?"

Skye can't hold back her weak smile. She looks into his eyes. "Don't die in there, ok?"

"Ok."

Ward doesn't know what to do about Quinn. He is working for the Clairvoyant, who happens to be Garrett, and he works for Garrett too. So he would be betraying an ally, but...do his reasons make it ok?

No. But he's good at betraying people.

He rises, and moves towards the house.

* * *

In the basement, there is a hyperbaric chamber.

Ward knows what a hyperbaric chamber is because he's been in one before, when he almost drowned retrieving an 0-8-4 in Gloustershire, Britain. It was not a pleasant experience, particularly not for Ward who, from an early age, has been claustrophobic. Not badly, but enough to make him very uncomfortable.

He whirls around as he hears footsteps echoing down the stone steps and searches frantically for a place to hide. His gaze settles on a large shelf, which he crouched behind as Quinn enters the basement.

Excellent. Ward shoots him with the night-night gun, but is shocked to discover that his target is not, in fact, Ian Quinn at all, but Mancini, the Cybertek man. Then he realises that the night-night round is empty.

Quinn pulls him out, and Ward fights with everything he has, but then his stomach explodes with pain. Instinctively, his hands fly to there, and they come back slick with blood. He draws in a heavy breath, but it doesn't work, and he is firmly pushed away.

It's fine. He's taken bullets before.

Just...not like this.

And then he remembers that he is HYDRA and, technically speaking, so is Quinn, who incidentally is taking orders from the Clairvoyant, who is Garrett, who also happens to be Wards SO and general father-figure, and then he blacks out.

* * *

"Ward? Ward! Can you hear me? Please tell me you can hear me! Ward...Ward!"

There are tears rolling down his cheeks that are not his own and he realises that the pain has doubled. Come to think of it, he remembers a second gunshot through the haze.

"Skye..."

"Ward! Ward, just focus on me, it's going to be ok, it'll be fine..."

She's borderline hysterical now.

"Don't worry about me. I'm no use to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"How can you say that?" she whispers, "You are, of course you are."

"It's not like anyone cares."

"I care, Ward! Your stupid attitude problems! Just...stop talking. Stop talking and focus on me. SIMMONS!"

More footsteps. He opens his mouth to speak, but instead of words, a little blood comes out. _Skye cares._

_ If I make it out of this alive, _he thinks, _Screw HYDRA. I'm sticking with S.H.I.E.L.D._

**I don't like evil Ward :( **

** Last chapter up next! I'd like to thank missingviolet, annavale23, babycraycray and all the Guests who reviewed the last chapter, as well as all the followers and the ones who favourited this fic.**

** Thanks!**


	6. May

**Wow! I'm back with...**

** THE LAST CHAPTER!**

** I can't believe it. This is only the second fanfic I have ever completed. **

** This chapter's about May (I know you're probably expecting some big finale, which is not likely to happen, but hey. Give it a go.)**

_As we round the bend, the passengers on the north side of the train..._

May doesn't like heights.

She would not say, necessarily, that she is _afraid_ of them, but there is something...a long time ago, May was afraid.

And some might say that yes, it is perfectly fine to be slightly afraid of being on top of a moving train.

When she was a child, and there was the cliff. But she doesn't think about the cliff.

Thought, memories, feelings; May stopped having them a long time ago. She's a professional. They get in the way. And May gets the job done: generally, her job is easier when things are not in the way of her work. So she continues walking until she locates the package, which Fitz and Skye discover immediately.

"Got it. Right there."

"Do you want me to go and get it?"

"No," came Coulson's voice, crackling in her earpiece, "We need to follow Cybertek to get to Quinn. Come down, meet Fitz and Skye in the luggage compartment. We'll meet you. Ward?"

Nothing.

"Ward, do you copy?"

"May, Fi-"

There is an electric scrambling noise. May presses a finger to her ear. "Coulson? Fitz? Does anybody read me?"

The jumbled white noise again.

"Cybertek," she hisses.

She's about to go down, but is slightly distracted by all the people shooting at her.

* * *

Coulson decides to locate the package.

"Stay here," he tells Simmons. She looks frightened; he has to keep reminding himself that she is not experienced in this field. Missions such as this one rarely go by without a hitch. "I'm going to go make sure we don't lose that package. If you don't hear from me in ten, go and find Fitz and Skye. May should be with them."

She nods quickly, packing everything into her small handbag.

Ten minutes passes. There is nothing. She sighs; her heartbeat quickens. Her mouth is dry. She stands up, and lets out a gasp of relief. Ward has entered the compartment.

"We've been made," he mutters to her. "Where's Coulson?"

"He- he went to find the package."

"Great," he growls. "We need to regroup. We should find May, Fitz and Skye. Then I'll get Coulson."

"Ok," she replies slowly. "Let's go."

They make their way to the luggage compartment, where they find Fitz and Skye, frantically trying to reboot all the communication devices.

"Where's May?"

They both look up. "We thought she was with you..."

* * *

May enters Defence Mode, and starts running until she reaches an open window. One of the bullets grazes her arm, and a trickle of blood starts oozing out, but thankfully it is not deep nor serious and stops bleeding fairly quickly.

She jumps off the side of the train, hanging on by her fingertips and swinging herself through the window to see a couple staring at her, totally bewildered.

"Excuse me," she says in Italian. The woman's mouth drops open and May notices that she is unbuttoning her shirt. _Oh_. "Close the window," she says quickly, and exits.

If May is not May, she would be flushed crimson. However, being as she is, she appears unconcerned and strolls out, closing the door behind her.

It doesn't take long to find the luggage compartment.

"Where's Coulson?" she asks, upon entering.

They all look up. "We thought he was with you..."

* * *

Coulson escapes Cybertek by hiding under the table.

His original plan was to get the package, but when he sees how many there are he makes the wise decision to hide because they will probably kill him on sight. So he waits.

They leave.

Coulson crawls out. There is dust on his trousers, which he brushes off. The package is gone. He makes his way back to the luggage compartment.

* * *

"May back yet?" he asks. Fitz utters some ancient Scottish curse.

"We thought she was w-"

"Don't say it," Skye warns.

"She went to find you," Simmons explains.

Coulson sighs. "I-"

"There is _no_ way you're going to find her," says Skye. "We'll all stay here and she'll come back in a few minutes."

* * *

The man grabs her from behind and the rest of them flick the safety catches on their guns. All training forgotten, she fights like a wildcat, hissing and scratch, clawing at the thug's face. He presses the gun into her temple.

"We take her to Quinn," say Carlo Mancini, and she wonders where he came from. "He will deal with her."

"An added bonus," she says thickly, blood filling her mouth. She must have been hit in the face. Her arms are wrenched behind her back and secured together. The gun is not removed from her temple.

One of them starts to pull her away.

Fitz's voice comes through. "May, do you copy?"

The earpiece is wrenched out of its place. A hard, fast blow comes to the back of her head.

* * *

"She isn't answering," Fitz says nervously.

Coulson utters a not-so-ancient American curse.

"We need to find her," Skye says quickly. "She's probably still on the-"

The train screeches to a halt.

"Train..." she finishes weakly.

* * *

May wakes up in some sort of cellar. She is glad - though surprised - to see that her hands and feet are free. She groans. Her head is killing her.

"Ow," she murmurs, standing up. There is a strange tube in the corner, which she moves towards. "What the-"

She is shocked into silence. There, in the tube - it must be some sort of medical chamber, she tells herself - is Mike Peterson.

Mike Peterson.

The bridge.

Coulson.

Betrayal.

Revenge.

She will make him pay. She will make him pay. He almost got Coulson _killed_. She will make him pay.

Suddenly dizzy, she puts a hand to her head and it comes back slightly sticky with a strange red substance...

_Blood_, she tells herself, stumbling towards the wall for support. Her head is ringing. "Blood," she says, because that might make her vision clear.

_Don't pass out_, she thinks firmly. May is not a big believer in passing out.

She sits down, hard.

Someone walk in.

"Melinda May," he says, his voice soft and silky.

_Quinn. That's Ian Quinn. Get up. Move! He'll kill you- no! You'll kill him! Come on, what are you doing? No! That's not the right thing to do! What the hell?! Take him down or something!_

"Finally awake. Have you acquainted yourself with our other guest?" Quinn gestures towards the fish tank. _Fish tank? What? It's a tube, Melinda, pull yourself together... _"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I gave Mr. Mancini here," - _who? Mancini? Wasn't he the target? When did he come in here?_ \- "permission to test his new serum on you. I hope you don't mind. It opens the mind a little more, intended to loosen the tongue, but..." He gestures towards her. "I think it was a little strong. Don't you?"

She reaches out blindly for something, though she isn't sure what. She's barely listening to Quinn now.

He looks sympathetic. "It will start to wear off soon; don't you worry. Now, Mr. Mancini..."

They start to converse and she stops listening altogether. Vaguely she registers that Mike Peterson is standing up. She has to make him pay...

She stands up, only to flop back down again. She shakes her head violently. Her mind is becoming slightly sharper. She knocks her head against the wall, forgetting the injury. _Ow_! The pain registers but it seems to make her vision clearer. She is able to stand up.

Ian Quinn is pointing a gun at her and talking to Peterson.

"Would you stop me?"

"No," he says, and...was that reluctance in his tone?

"And if I asked you to hurt _her_ (you know, kill her), would you do that?"

"Mike," she says sharply. "Mr. Peterson."

He shakes his head slowly. "Those- those aren't my orders."

A sly smile spreads across his lips. "Go, then."

Mike obliges. May tries to follow.

"What the hell have you done to him?"

The smile doesn't fade. May looks down and sees the gun. He's going to-

* * *

"Where is she?!"

There is blood on his hand. A lump rises in Coulson's throat and quite suddenly he can't speak, can't breathe...

He pushes Quinn away, revulsion rising in his chest.

* * *

May is strong. She's taken bullets before.

May is strong.

Strong.

Bullets are easy. They hurt like hell, but she's taken them before.

Strong.

She drags herself towards the door.

Strong.

She leaves a trail of blood that she's trying her very hardest not to look at.

Strong. She is strong.

"Coulson," she blurts out for no reason in particular. She's at the steps. Shakily, she starts to drag herself up. Pain. "Ah," she murmurs.

"May?"

"Coulson," she whispers, but blood comes out instead of words.

_Strong_.

"May?"

"Oh, no..."

"She's... Coulson, we've found her!"

Footsteps. But they aren't getting closer. They're getting further away...

"Coulson! Come quickly!"

They're really fast now, like her heart...

It hurts. Somebody's lifting her.

_ No, don't lift me!_

She doesn't like being lifted. It hurts...

It hurts.

"May, stay with me. May! Don't you dare die! May! _Melinda_!"

It hurts...

Strong.

It hurts.

Strong. Strong strong strong.

Hurts...

* * *

"What do we do?" Ward asks frantically.

"I- I don't know... She's losing so much... Coulson, can you watch her? I need a First Aid kit; I'm sure he has one somewhere!" Simmons looks desperate. She scrambles down into the basement. The others split off into separate rooms.

Her shout carries up the stairs. "Bring her down! Now!"

Coulson obliges, heaving her up and making his cautious way down into the cellar. The others follow him.

"What is that thing?" Ward says.

"It's a hyperbaric chamber," Fitz answers quickly.

"Put her in!"

They do.

"Fitz, get her temperature down," she orders. She's getting hysterical. Skye touches her arm.

"Hey. Calm down. We're good."

"Pressure stabilising!"

"Is it working?"

"Dammit! Is it working?"

She doesn't reply.

May draws in a breath.

Coulson exhales.

* * *

She's going to be ok. She's going to be ok. She's going to...

Who's he kidding? How _can_ she be ok?

Two in the stomach.

Coulson trembles. Two in the stomach.

It's ok. She's strong.

She's strong.

But is he? Coulson isn't sure anymore. All the time, she's been there, and now...she isn't. He doesn't realise he's crying until the tear drops onto the glass surface. Automatically, he glances up at the ceiling, but it is blurred.

Then he realises.

He sits down, furiously wiping a bloodied sleeve across his eyes.

He'll be strong. For her.

Strong.

**Well, that was...odd. I'm not sure where that idea came from '~'**

** To be honest with you guys, I've had this chapter half written for several weeks, but was lacking inspiration for it. In fact, it was only thanks to a review that I picked myself up and started work again!**

** I'd like to thank babycraycray, annavale23, AwesomeGirl and Jackie c2 (who managed to actually make me write something) for their reviews. Also, a special shout-out to annavale23 and babycraycray for their constant support throughout this fic. Also, thank you to all the followers and the ones who favourited this story.**

** To those of you who followed my story 'The Ghosts of Those Who Have Been', I'm currently planning a sequel, so look out for that in a few weeks' time! If you haven't read it, I'd love a review (I'm two off fifty XD).**

** Wow! I'm finished! Thanks for sticking with me!**

** Here's me, signing out! :D**


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